Noida airport region drew Rs 7,617 cr in investments amid pandemic: Official

Notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic, the region surrounding the upcoming Noida International Airport has got investments worth Rs 7,617 crore this ongoing fiscal including those from some “big ticket” Fortune 500 firms, a top government official said.

From April till December, industrial plots were allotted to 911 companies which are expected to create 1.91 lakh jobs in this region in western Uttar Pradesh, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) CEO Arun Vir Singh told PTI in an interview.

Singh, also the CEO of the Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), cited the figures as he asserted that the mega greenfield project has triggered massive infrastructure development including road and rail connectivity in Uttar Pradesh's Jewar region -- around 70 km from the national capital.

Jewar, which falls along the Yamuna Expressway, would be connected to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and also have a metro link to Greater Noida besides the ambitious high-speed Delhi-Varanasi Bullet Train having a stoppage at the Noida airport, he said.

“All this will be ready before the first flight takes off which is expected in December 2023 or January 2024,” Singh told PTI.

He said the DPR (detailed project report) of the airport mentions a station for the stoppage of a bullet train that is proposed between Delhi and Varanasi, while a metro rail line is also approved for connectivity from Greater Noida to Jewar.

“There will not be any separate direct metro line from Delhi airport to Noida airport,” he clarified.

Besides the rail connectivity, he said, Jewar is being connected by road to Haryana's Ballabhgarh, which falls on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

“The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has agreed for this 30-km road project and talks are underway between the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for acquisition of land on this route to connect Jewar and Ballabhgarh,” he said.

“An interchange has already been approved on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and work will soon begin on that,” he added.

He said the YEIDA, which manages development along the 165-km-long Yamuna Expressway, allotted 911 plots for industries from April till December this year despite the pandemic and the lockdown.

“Altogether investments worth Rs 7,617 crore have been made in the region during this 8-9 month period. This has led to creation of 1.91 lakh jobs in the region. These include investments from some big ticket companies which feature in Fortune 500,” Singh said, but declined to name the companies which have made investments. He asserted that with the proposed infrastructure and connectivity this region, the Yamuna Expressway region will be among the best for investment in the country in times to come.

“The airport at Jewar is going to be the biggest airport in India and the second biggest in Asia,” he said.

“Our tag line says: 'The future is here' and we are working with the same belief and confidence under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,” he added.